Serena Williams is set to marry her fiancé Alexis Ohanian, the multi-millionaire co-founder of social news website Reddit, this Thursday.

The venue is still unknown that even star guest Jay Z, Beyoncé and Kris Jenner won’t find out the exact details until the morning of the wedding.

A source said: “They have hired the best of the best and can’t wait to get married in The Big Easy. It’s a special city for Serena and somewhere she has always loved.

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“Serena and Alexis chose the Contemporary Arts Center because of its incredible architecture and history. They have instructed Preston to fill the hall with thousands of dollars worth of crystals and flowers. The hall will be totally transformed.”

The event will cost more than $1 million to stage and is being organized by celebrity wedding planner Preston Bailey.

Among the guests that will be in attendance include Prince Harry’s girlfriend, Meghan Markle. The American actress, who finishes shooting legal drama Suits this week for the final time, has been a friend of Serena’s since 2014 and gushed earlier this year:

‘We are both the same age, have a penchant for hot sauces, and adore fashion, but what connects us more than those things is perhaps our belief in exceeding expectations – our endless ambition.’

The source says: ‘They have hired the best of the best and can’t wait to get married in The Big Easy. It’s a special city for Serena and somewhere she has always loved.

‘Serena and Alexis chose the Contemporary Arts Center because of its incredible architecture and history. They have instructed Preston to fill the hall with thousands of dollars worth of crystals and flowers. The hall will be totally transformed.’

It was earlier reported that Serena, who has won 23 Grand Slam events in her illustrious career, would make her competitive comeback in January to defend her title at the Australian Open, the same tournament in which she beat sister, Venus, in the final while pregnant.

She said: ‘I used to think I’d want to retire when I have kids, but no. I’m definitely coming back. If anything, this pregnancy has given me a new power.’

Ohanian proposed to the Olympic gold medalist, whose fortune is valued at £122 million, last December on a surprise trip to Rome. She announced their engagement with a poem on his website.

It read: ‘At the same table we first met by chance, This time he made it not by chance, But by choice, Down on one knee, He said four words, And I said yes.’ She had previously never commented publicly on their relationship.